NATO Elects German General Carsten Breuer as Military Committee Chair

Chiefs of defence from 32 member states elected General Carsten Breuer as the next chair of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization military committee during a conference in Copenhagen on September 19, 2026. Breuer won the position via secret ballot, receiving support from at least 17 chiefs of defence and defeating Canadian General Jennie Carignan, who would have been the first woman to hold the role.

Breuer will succeed Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone in July 2027 for a three-year term. As the primary military adviser to Secretary General Mark Rutte, Breuer will serve as a high-level intermediary between the alliance's political objectives and its military capabilities. The appointment follows a period of increased German military spending, with goals to exceed 200 billion euros by 2030, amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump for European nations to assume primary responsibility for their own conventional deterrence.

Presided over by Admiral Cavo Dragone, the conference focused on implementing decisions from the Ankara Summit, specifically regarding collective deterrence, the adoption of new defence technologies, and continued support for Ukraine. Cavo Dragone condemned the reckless behaviour of Russia, citing hybrid activities and airspace violations. The participants also issued a directive to the defence industry to deliver capabilities with greater speed, scale, and predictability.